POV | Darts and Laurels

My first Laurel goes to Bellarmine University, which last week embarked on a $25 million building project that will greatly expand and enhance the current administration building overlooking Newburg Road. The Centro complex, as it will be called, will not only be the new home of the University's business school, but will also house its new Institute of Advanced Analytics. And its appealing Tuscan architecture will be an excellent addition to the school's Highlands campus.

But a Dart goes to the many Internet pundits who have used WDRB's story about South Bullitt Fire Chief Julius Hatfield to paint all Bullitt County residents as backward bigots. Yes, Hatfield himself earned the contempt of just about any fair-minded person with his racist comments last month, but he's just one man. And it's important to note that literally every Bullitt County resident we heard from condemned his actions and made it clear that he didn't speak for them. They deserve a break.

And finally, a Laurel goes to the state of Kentucky for showing the nation's largest one-month decline in the unemployment rate in October. The drop from 6.7 to 6.2 percent was the biggest one-month drop in the state's unemployment rate since 1976, and while I realize there are still plenty of people out there searching for jobs, this should provide a lot of encouragement for them, as well as the entire Commonwealth.